This invention relates to dental articulators and, more particularly, to the connection of a tooth supporting tray by a keyway to the articulator frame.
Articulators are used for supporting and orienting a cast of the dental arch during the fabrication of prosthetic devices. The tooth supporting trays have been rigidly secured to platforms of the articulator frame by plaster, the plaster forming a permanent bond which is retained throughout the fabrication process. The foregoing form of articulator suffers a disadvantage in that the dental technician cannot separate the casting or model of the dental arch from the articulator, but must perform all steps of the fabrication while the casting is attached to the articulator.
A problem arises in the event that an attempt be made to detachably secure the tooth supporting trays to the articulator frame. First, it is noted that the articulators are used in laboratories wherein various powders such as plasters and other substances are present which may come in contact with the tray or the frame and, thereby, jam a mechanism which might be used for detachably securing the trays to the frame. An additional problem attendant the connection of the trays to the frame is the need for retaining the orientation of the trays relative to the articulator.